Written Testimony Submitted by U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso to the Joint Committee: Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Implementation of the President’s Executive Order on Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security.”

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommends substantial changes to the way refineries are regulated in California in its final Regulatory Report on the Chevron Richmond Refinery pipe rupture and fire. Among them: the Board wants California to enhance its process safety management (PSM) regulations for petroleum refineries to ensure a more robust and adaptive regulatory regime. 

As reported previously, we found a causal factor of the tragedy to be long-term, undetected High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA) of the steel equipment, which led to the vessel rupture on the day of the accident and the massive release of highly flammable hydrogen and naphtha.

California’s initiative to improve refinery safety is getting a big thumb’s up from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB). A report recently released by the California Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety “is an important milestone for improving refinery safety across the State of California,” said CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso.

The April 2, 2010, explosion and fire that fatally injured seven employees at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes, Washington was caused by a faulty heat exchanger, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which will officially wrap up its investigation into the tragedy at a meeting later this month.

Good news about the aging workforce, the Obama administration accused of delaying rulemaking for political purposes and we don’t approve of speeding – even though we do it. These were among the top EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

A highlight at ASSE’s annual professional development conference, this year titled Safety 2013, is the Executive Summit Panel Discussion. This year’s featured panelists:  Robert Zaist, President of Energy and Construction, URS Corporation; Rafael Moure-Eraso, Chair, U.S. Chemical Safety Board; Lester Grey, Sr. Vice President of Operations, Perdue Farms; Stephanie Buchanan, Vice President of Operations, United Airlines, Houston Hub; and Virginia Valentine, Nevada Resort Association.